The Past is Forgotten
by almostbella95
Summary: Edward Cullen and Bella Swan have been best friends since birth, but their faith will be tested when Bella becomes the school psychopath after being raped and beaten by her stepfather, Phil. ExB, slightly OOC, AH, AU, ALL HUMAN. Rating subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

BPOV

June 17th, 2007

"Edward, stop!" I screamed as he tickled me. I tried to pull his hands away from my stomach, but he was stronger than I was. "Edward! Edward! Edward!" I said between laughs. I was pretty close to peeing in my pants, so I had to stop him. It was time for the safe word. "Vampire!" **(A/N: haha I had to make that the safe word, lol)**I yelled and he backed away almost immediately.

"Are you okay?" He seemed concerned, and I chuckled at his protectiveness.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, resting one hand on my stomach.

"Then why did you use the safe word?" He was genuinely concerned, so I decided not to put him through too much.

"I just thought it might ruin your day if you had to clean up after me." I said, not wanting to say 'pee' in front of Edward.

"Huh?" he asked. I just rolled my eyes and scampered off to the bathroom. When I returned a minute later, he had a smug look on his face.

"What now?" I asked.

"Nothing…."

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen you tell me what you know that I don't know right now or I will come over there and punch you in the jaw!" I said aggressively, knowing that it was an empty threat, but also knowing that Edward would fall for it.

He looked around sort of guiltily before pulling out a black book from behind him. It sort of looked like-oh no. It wasn't.

"EDWARD!" I screamed. "WHAT DID YOU READ IN THERE?" I asked, panicking. He didn't say anything; he just bolted out the door, down the hall and into the bathroom. I didn't catch him in time to get the book back from him, so I banged on the door incessantly until he finally opened it up with a hurt look on his face. "What?" I asked.

"You're not a virgin?" he asked, sounding quite hurt.

"Edward, I don't want to talk about this right now. Please, just drop it." I pleaded, hoping he didn't read into the details on that specific page.

"No, we're going to talk about this now, because you're my best friend, and we're supposed to tell each other _everything_." He practically spat the last word at me.

"Edward, please. Not now." I said, attempting to force back the tears that were pricking the backs of my eyes.

"Fine." He said, grabbing his coat from my doorknob. "Don't let me in, Bella. Don't tell the truth to your best friend since birth. Just keep it all locked up inside, where nobody can every _really_ know you." He said, storming out of the house, leaving my diary sitting on the floor of the hallway.

I sank down to the floor, not wanting to bring back the memories of those nights. I cried, yanking my hair at the roots, wondering how I was going to get through summer without my best friend there to help ward off the Mike Newtons of the world.

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BOPV

June 14th, 2007

It had been a week since Edward an I had last spoken, and I was trying hard to keep my cool as I walked up to him while he was reading on the hammock in his backyard.

"Edward?" I said in the tiniest voice imaginable. He looked up to see me with my puffy eyes, my frazzled, un-brushed hair, and my ratty pajamas on still.

"Bella" he breathed standing up, looking worried. "What's wrong? Why do you look so sad? I know what I said was harsh, and I'm so sorry, you don't deserve any of that, my mind was just-" I held my hand up so he would stop babbling on.

"It's okay, Edward. I just wanted you to know what that stuff inside my diary was about."

"Oh, no Bella. Really, I don't deserve to know anything. It's your business, I shouldn't have even looked in it anyways." He babbled.

"No, I need to tell someone, and you're the only person I trust to keep secrets like this." I took a deep breath, trying to steady the emotions that were swarming around inside me, but I couldn't keep it together. A single tear rolled down my cheek, and Edward embraced me in a tight hug, lowering us down onto the ground so we were sitting.

"Shhh, it's okay, Bells. I'm right here." He cooed, rubbing small circles on my upper back as I sobbed into his chest.

"Edward, I know you have a right to know what's going on, but you need to know that this isn't my choice, okay? I'm doing this to protect you." I said, sniffling.

"You don't need to protect me. Right now, all you need is to let go." His voice was soothing, but I couldn't let go.

"I can't just let go, Edward. It's so scarring, I just- I can't."

"Shhh, it's okay. I'm right here." He said again, this time more soothing, and I soon melted into his embrace.

I finally broke the silence, knowing that even if I couldn't move on, I could fess up.

"Edward, when I was eleven, I was raped and beaten by Phil." I said, still managing to hold everything together even as the memories of emotional and physical pain flooded my mind.

"But, how? You were here all year, you only went away for the summer…" he trailed off at the end as if coming to realization.

"Do you remember where I went for summer vacation that summer, Edward?" I asked as if all my memories of that summer had been repressed, and I was fully normal again.

"Phoenix." He muttered under his breath, almost too quiet for me to hear it. "But, you said you were beaten, you came home without any bruises or cuts or scrapes or anything." He looked astonished and scared at the same time.

"Phil started with the…raping at the end of the summer, towards mid July. Before that, he'd just beat me, plain and simple. I'd get up, Renee would be gone, and he would be sitting at the end of my bed, waiting for me." I shuddered at the memory of waking up to and angry Phil every morning.

"I'm so sorry Bella. Please, what can I do to help?" he looked at me with those gorgeous green eyes of his and I couldn't imagine dragging him into this mess any further than he'd have to.

"Just, don't say anything to anyone. Not to Charlie, not to Carlisle, to Esme, to Renee, nobody. And Edward, could you, " I took a deep breath before asking him for possibly the biggest favor I'd ever ask of anyone. "Could you just love me?" I searched his face for any sign of sadness or anger or anything, but it was only shock. I would give anything to know what was running through his head at that very moment.

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EPOV

She took a deep breath.

"Could you just love me?" She looked absolutely innocent and genuinely scared, and I was sitting there like an idiot staring at her. All this time, all she needed was love, and all I gave was friendship. I had been holding out since the first grade when Newton gave her a special valentine, and I knew from that very moment that she had to be mine. I wouldn't let Newton or any other guy get her, because she was meant to be with me, and now she was.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: okay, I know I forgot it in the last chapter, but I don't own twilight or its characters . If I did, the person who ruined midnight sun would be rotting in the twilight dungeon. haha

Chapter 2

BPOV

Present Day

-Flashback-

_I had just asked Edward to love me without even thinking it through first. What is wrong with me? I had no idea how I was going to cover this up, he has to know. God damn it! Why did I have to have such poor impulse control? He probably thinks I'm a psychopath now. 'Hey, Edward. My stepfather used to beat and rape me, you're one of the few who know, and oh, by the way, could you love me?' that sounds totally sane-if you're already in a straight jacket._

_But much to my surprise, he didn't back away in horror or call me a psychopath; he took my face in his hands and said;_

_"Isabella Marie Swan, for as long as I live, I will always love you. No matter what Phil did to you, no matter how many times Newton asks you out, no matter how many times you fall, and no matter how many times your cheeks flood with color, there will always be a place in my heart for you." _

-End Flashback-

"Bella?" Edward's velvet voice snapped me out of my look back into the past. I looked around, remembering where I was, and why.

"Huh?" I looked up from the ugly linoleum of the Seattle airport to see Edward's intense green eyes looking straight at me.

"I said what time is it?" he said from across the aisle. I blushed, and he chuckled

"12:50." I said after looking at my watch for about a minute, momentarily forgetting how to tell time.

"Only 30 minutes until boarding." He said, excitedly.

"Edward, I don't know if this is the best idea. I haven't seen Phil since the incident and I don't want history repeating itself. And it might be especially bad if I was with-"

"Trust me, when he sees you're with me, I don't think he'll try anything. And if he does, well then I'll just have to punch him out." He said, moving over next to me to put his arm around me. I laughed, but it wasn't genuine. "Bella, it's okay. Once we tell Renee, we can go to the hotel, and we'll wait for him to get taken away. Everything will be fine." He said, taking my face in his strong hands. Having him here made me feel better about it but I still wasn't sure about it.

The airline called up first-class passengers, and as Edward stood and started collecting his bags, I glared at him, knowing that it wouldn't do any good.

We made our way on to the plane and sat down in the first row. The leather seats were comfortable and roomy, so I tucked my feet behind me and snuggled up to Edward as if he were a pillow.

"Goodnight, Edward." I mumbled into his chest before.

"Sleep well, love." He murmured into my hair.

"What?" I asked curiously. Did he just call me _love_?

"I said goodnight, love. Is there something wrong with that?" he asked, somewhat confused.

"Not at all." I murmured before drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Bella, love, wake up. We're here." I heard Edward's velvety soft voice bringing me back to consciousness. I sat up and gathered my belongings, my nerves going crazy. I was practically bouncing with anxiousness, and I'm sure it was bothering people. Edward was attempting to calm me down by rubbing circles into the small of my back, but it wasn't helping very much.

We arrived at a small red brick building with lots of stairs up front. We silently ascended the stairs, Edward's hand in my own. He took the large brass doorknob in his free hand. He turned it and pushed, and the door swung open into a bright office space. He led us up to a desk where a tired looking woman with fiery red hair falling on her shoulders was working.

"Excuse me? We're looking for Victoria Sanders." Edward said; his arm around my waist.

"You're looking at her. What can I help you with?" She asked as she looked up. Edward gently squeezed my waist for reinforcement, and I looked up at him gratefully. I definitely couldn't do this if he weren't here. After a few deep breaths, I finally spoke.

"I'm here to locate my daughter."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

BPOV

"I'm here to locate my daughter."

"Name please" Victoria said, obviously annoyed by our presence.

"Uh, mine or my daughters?" I asked, confused.

"Both."

"Oh, okay. Well I'm Bella Swan, and my daughter's name is Renesmee Carlie Swan." I said, wishing that all the awkwardness would go away.

"Oh! You're Nessie's parents? Well, that shouldn't surprise me." She laughed nervously. "So, um if you'll just fill out these forms, that'd be great. I'm guessing he's the father?" she said, pointing at Edward.

"No." he said through clenched teeth.

"Oh." She looked taken aback, and well, scared.

"And no, I am _not_ the stand-in father because the biological father left her. It is _none _of your business and I suggest that you stay out of it." He was fuming. I could swear he almost growled.

"Okay. Um….I'll just go and get Nessie." She said, taking the completed paperwork from my hands.

"Thanks." I muttered. As soon as she was out of earshot I turned to Edward with a disappointed look on my face.

"What?"

"I thought you said you weren't going to read her mind because you knew it would upset you." I said, looking into those deep green eyes.

"I know. I'm sorry, love. It's no excuse, but she was thinking some of the most vile things, and I had to set her straight. I'm sorry."

"Wait, _vile?_" I was shocked. What would she be thinking that was _vile_?

"We'll talk about it later. She's coming back with Nessie."

"Not you! Why would they nickname her after the Loch Ness monster?" Now I was fuming.

"I'm sorry, love. I've heard it so many times in people's minds just today that it's probably permanently etched in." He laughed. "Speaking of Ness-Renesmee, all the kids seem to be pretty jealous that she gets to meet her biological parents." I just looked at him with a worried expression.

"And how does _she_ feel, Edward?"

"I'm not Jasper. She's worried that we won't like her hair or clothes, and she doesn't intend on talking much…" he trailed off at the end to the sound of small footsteps coming our way, followed by the click of Victoria's heels.

Victoria was leading a small girl with chocolate brown eyes, fair skin, and warm brown ringlets that fell just past her shoulders out to us.

"Nessie, this is your mommy and daddy" Victoria said in that voice that every person uses when talking to a small child.

"Hi." She said timidly, looking down at the floor.

"Hi Renesmee" I said, squatting down so I was at her level. Sensing this, she looked up and smiled. "I'm Bella, your birth mother."

"I know." She stated happily.

"How?" I asked.

"I just do." She said, looking into my eyes. She then moved over to Edward and he squatted down to see her.

"Hello, there." He said.

"Hi. Does this mean that you're my birth father?" she asked, and I could tell that Edward was trying very hard not to say anything that might upset her.

"No, we have an um, special situation." He said, smiling. She didn't respond. She just stretched her hand out and touched Edward's neck with her little hand. His eyes widened, and he looked up at me, questioningly. I looked back at him, a little worried at what caused his reaction.

"You didn't answer my question, daddy." Edward just about melted into the floor at that point.

"Yes, Renesmee, I do." He said, looking at me the whole time.

"Okay, Nessie? It's time for you to go back to your homework now. Your parents will be here when you're done, okay?" Victoria said. Renesmee's expression shifted to a sad grimace, but she didn't protest. She hugged Edward, and then walked over to me. I bent back down, and she put her tiny palm on my cheek. Images flew through my mind. Me holding Renesmee in the hospital bed, me at the foster home, giving her up. She pulled her hand back and walked away with Victoria, and I looked up at Edward.

"What was that?" I asked, moving back toward where Edward was leaning against the window.

"I don't know. In her mind, she said she was going to _show _us things, but I thought she meant toys or something. I didn't realize she had any _abilities_" he said, slowly rubbing circle into my palm.

"So are you up to it?" I asked, making my best puppy dog face.

"Up to what?" he asked, searching my eyes for any idea of what I might be thinking.

"Adopting her"

"Of course! Why do you think we came here?" Truth be told, without wanting to adopt Renesmee, we didn't really have to be here. I could've just told Renee over the phone. Edward lent down and gently pressed his lips to mine, and I smiled. I wrapped my arms around his neck and tangled my fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. Someone cleared their throat. I looked up to see Victoria staring at us. I pulled away from Edward and shove my hands in my pockets.

"Okay. So Renesmee will be done with her schoolwork in about a half hour." She said awkwardly. "She was wondering if you would take her out to dinner."

"Yes! Of course!" I exclaimed, happy to know that she wanted to know us. Edward chuckled and took my hand in his, pressing his lips to the back of my palm. Victoria rolled her eyes.

"You can wait here or go wander for a little bit. We'll call when she's done."

"No need. We wanted to fill out the paperwork for adoption." Edward stated simply, and she looked at him in awe.

"Uhh…okay." Victoria said, rummaging around her desk for something. "Wait, you're over 18, right?"

"No-" Edward said, but he was cut off.

"You can't adopt if you're not 18 or over." She said, triumphantly.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind, my mother is on the phone," he said, gesturing to the open cell phone in his palm. "And she wouldn't mind vouching for me." She looked shocked as she took the phone to her ear.

"Hello…yes…oh….okay….yes…well…okay…yes that's fine." She said, scribbling something on a nearby scrap of paper, then pinning it to the bulletin board behind her. She shut the phone and handed it back to Edward. "Well, your mother seems to be okay with this, so let's begin."

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Between Edward and me, we had all the paperwork filled out twenty minutes later. All that was left was the interview, which was scheduled for this evening after we went out to dinner with Nessie.

I heard little feet scuffing on the floor, and I turned my head to the hallway in which Nessie disappeared down thirty minutes earlier.

She emerged with an older woman holding her hand.

"Bye Lauren." She said, waving. The woman waved back, smiled and walked back down the dark hallway. When she saw us standing there waiting for her, she ran up and flung her arms around my leg. I chuckled and picked her up.

We walked out the door with promises to have her back by eight o'clock. I glanced at my watch. That only gave us an hour, and we needed to get back to my house with her, so we headed for McDonalds.

"I'm sorry we don't have time to take you out to a proper dinner, Nessie. But we do have a surprise for you." I said as we pulled up to the McDonalds drive through.

"That's okay. I've never had McDonalds before. I like surprises." She sounded genuinely happy, and we ordered her a happy meal.

"So Nessie, do you want to meet your grandma?" I asked, and she nodded her head happily.

"What's she like?" Nessie called from the backseat after a moment of silence.

"Well," Edward started. "She's _very _pretty. Just like your mom." He said, smiling at me. "And she's very nice too."

"What's her name?" Nessie asked.

"Renee." I answered. "It's part of your name."

"Okay. Is this her house?" she asked excitedly as we pulled into the driveway.

"Yes it is. Now Renesmee, we need you to be on your best behavior, okay? No showing Renee and Phil things, okay?"

"I promise, but who's Phil?" She questioned.

"Phil is grandma's new husband."

"New?"

"We'll explain it later, okay?"

"Okay." She said contentedly, as she played with her Barbie happy meal toy.

"Edward, did you call them?" I asked, referring to the police.

"Yes. They're waiting around the corner." He explained, whispering in my ear. "This bug will allow them to hear what we're saying, and what anyone around us is saying. I've got one too. You've got to keep it on your jacket collar, okay?" he said, clipping a tiny black tablet to my collar. I just nodded.

"Okay, Nessie. Ready?" I asked, and she once again nodded her head up and down as if it were off its hinges.

I took her out of her car seat and carried her up to the front door. I knocked three times, and Renee's panicked voice yelled something from the other side of the door. The door suddenly swung open, and Renee looked at us, shocked.

"Bella!" she exclaimed, taking me in to a tight hug. Renesmee squirmed, and Renee pulled back. "Who's this?" she asked, pointing to Renesmee.

"Is Phil home yet?" I asked, hoping I could talk to Renee a bit before he got home.

"No. He'll be home around seven thirty." I looked down at my watch. We had ten minutes to explain it to Renee.

"Can we come in?" I asked, already inching toward the door.

"Oh! Sorry, of course you can!" Renee moved out of the way and we moved in to the living room.

"Mom, I know this is going to be hard for you. But you need to know that I don't blame you for any of this. There's only one person to blame. So when I tell you, please don't do anything rash." I explained passing Nessie off to Edward, and taking her hand in mine.

"Okay…" she wasn't following.

"Mom, Renesmee is my daughter." I said as I studied her face for any sort of emotion.

"H-how?" she asked. "I didn't think you'd be the type to do this. I-she looks so old. How old is she?"

"Almost six." She said smiling from Edward's lap.

"B-but-how-I-" she was truly baffled. This was going to be hard. I grabbed Edward's hand for support, and he nodded. I turned back to her.

"Mom, when I was eleven, that summer I spent here, Phil, he-" I took a deep breath. She was shaking her head. "He raped me." That was it for her. She let the tears fall, shaking her head still.

"No, no, no." He couldn't have. He's a good guy!" she was bawling now.

"I'm so sorry mom. I know it's not ideal, but it's what's happened. I've come to terms with it." She was still shaking her head but her sobs had faded a bit. Edward grabbed my arm and pulled me in so he could whisper in my ear.

"Phil's here. He sees our car. He knows something's up. You take Nessie to the car. I couldn't live if you got hurt." His warm breath calmed me, and I didn't protest. I took Nessie and ran out the back door and around the house.

EPOV

"Renee, I know you're upset, but I just want to warn you that Phil is about to come in that door." I said just before the door swung open and Phil's large build walked in.

"Who are you?" he asked, walking up to me with and angry look on his face.

"Edward Cullen." I said, outstretching my hand. He took it curiously, and shook it firmly.

"Phil Dwyer. Now what the hell are you doing here?" He said, looking over at Renee, who was now somewhat calm, but here eyes were still glassy and red. "What's wrong, babe?" he said, going over to her, touching her arm gently. She yanked it away. _What the hell did he do to her?_ He thought.

"I didn't do anything to her." I responded. He looked at me like I was insane. Renee ran down a dimly lit hallway, and Phil followed pleadingly. Phil came back out a few minutes later with a lot on his mind.

_I swear, whatever this kid did to Renee, I'm going to find out and pummel him for it. What he thinks he can just walk in and steal my wife away? No dice. This kid has got something coming for him. I'm gonna-" _I tuned out after that. I didn't want to hear what he had planned for me.

"Did you need something?" he asked, annoyed.

"Actually, yes. I would like you to explain why you felt it necessary to rape my girlfriend when she was eleven. And beating her as well, now that's just cruel." I said, venom spilling out of my voice.

"Oh so you know about that." He said, chuckling. "I suppose that's why you're here. You wanted her fresh when you got to her." At that point I growled. He just chuckled.

"So you did rape her." I inquired. He still had no idea that he was being recorded.

"Yes, I did, and it was lovely." He said. I had to restrain myself from jumping across the room and tackling him.

"And you beat her as well," I asked, trying to get as much admitted from the bastard as I could get.

"Yes, but only because she wouldn't comply" He said, planning on continuing, but I stopped him there.

"And you do know that you now have a daughter because of those actions that you committed."

"A _daughter_?" his thoughts were horrible. He was thinking of ways to kill her off without the authorities finding out.

"Oh, that's not possible." I said in response to his thoughts.

"What the hell? How do you know what I'm thinking?"

"I just do. And did you also know that you just admitted to physically and sexually abusing Isabella Marie Swan?"

"What? How? You're just fooling with my mind! No! How?!" he babbled. I pulled the bug out from under my collar, and showed him. He growled and ran back down the hallway.

"Come, now" I said straight into the microphone. Phil came back out from the hallway carrying a gun. He took it and shoved it at my chest. He was seriously going crazy. He was going to shoot if I didn't comply.

"Now, I want you to step on that pretty little piece of technology you got there." He said, the gun still pressed up to my chest. I dropped the chip, and stepped down hard on it. _Good boy._ He thought. "Now you're going to go night-night, because we can't have you running around telling people, now can we?" I shook my head. He obviously didn't know that they had already recorded all the evidence they needed, plus the extra bug that I placed on the underside of the coffee table.

There was a knock at the door, and the next thing I knew, it was on the floor. Three police officers came in, guns drawn.

"Drop your weapon." The one in the front said.

"Oh, okay" Phil said. _Just after I finish this off… _he thought, and I knew this was the end. From what I knew about the human body, it would be very bad if the bullet were to hit my heart. So I turned just as Phil counted down in his head. At three, I pivoted and he pulled the trigger. There was a sharp pain in my upper arm, and I fell to the ground.

The last thing I remember was the sound of sirens in the distance.

**A/N: WHEW! Long chapter. Haha so yeah a little bit of a cliffie there. I'm in the car driving home from vacation, and I'll probably type up the next chapter, too. After the next few chapters, this story is going to jump WAY ahead in time to when Nessie's a little bit more grown up so she can know the story with Bella/Phil. There might be an original character thrown in there too! **

**Reviews make me write faster!**


	4. Chapter 4

IMPORTANT INFORMATION AHEAD

Hello, everybody. I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long, I've been busy with swimming and such, but that's no excuse. I'm working on the next chapter right now, but I won't be adding it until I get at _least_ 15 reviews. Tell me what you think, or if you want to suggest something or point out a mistake, feel free.

So since school is starting soon, I'll try and write stuff during my free period, but until fall swim season is over, I can't promise super-speedy sparkly flammable vampire speed updates, but I'll try.

ALSO I'm starting a new story, it's a comedy, cus everyone needs some of that in their life, ya know?

Sooooo….In the reviews tell me which option you would most like to see made in to a story. Thanks!

1. Emmett signs the Cullens up to go on Maury and they end up having to deal with his relationship crap

2. Bella Swan is a real person and lives with her mom and stepdad in Phoenix. What happens when she goes to Forks for the summer and ends up meeting the Cullens? What will Stephenie Meyer say when Bella meets her at a book signing and tells her her story?

Hmmm? HMMMMM??????

Tell me in the reviews, please.

So go on and click that nice little button down there.

Haha

Almostbella95


	5. Chapter 5

Hi guys! Miss me? Oh, stop it! Haha. So I know it's been a while, and many of you want to punch me in the jaw right now, but I promise this chapter is worth it. And the reason for that is.....EDWARD DOESN'T DIE OF BLOOD LOSS! Awesome, right? He'll be better soon enough though. This chapter is going to be short and sweet, but then the next chapter will jump ahead a LOT so that Nessie can know the whole story behind her birth. ¡VENGA!

EPOV

My eyelids fluttered open and immediately Nessie's thoughts flooded my mind. She was so worried. Bella's face appeared in my line of vision and my mind immediately halted.

"Hey" she cooed. "How're you feeling?" She asked as she picked up a cup of water and handed it to me. "Drink this. Your mouth has got to be dryer than the Sahara." Of course once she pointed it out, my mouth was unbearably dry. I chugged the water and handed her the cup again. "Whoa, slow down there, speed racer." She giggled, and I smiled.

"Where's Nessie?" I croaked.

"She's in the waiting room with the Victoria." I tuned back into Nessie's mind, and she was complaining about how Victoria wouldn't let her play hairstylist. _Her hair is so pretty and red and shiny and wavy! I want to play with it but she won't let me. I could always...no. I promised Daddy that I wouldn't show anybody anything. _Daddy? Did she just call me daddy? My eyes started to well up, but I quickly stopped before Bella could notice.

"How are you?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Me? I'm fine, now that I know that you're awake. How's your shoulder?" Oh, right. That shoulder.

"It's not bad. I feel stupid for asking but what exactly happened to me?"

"Phil um, he shot at you, but you turned and he only clipped your shoulder. If it wasn't for your err, mental skill, you would be in a lot worse shape health wise." It all came back to me, Nessie, the shots, the police.

"Where's Renee?" I asked, seriously hoping that I didn't miss any of Phil's plans to kill her, too.

"She's at home, getting showered. She spent all night here next to your bed, you know." Bella said, kneeling down next to the bed and taking my hand in hers. "She owes her life to you, and so do I." I patted the empty space on the bed next to me, and Bella climbed on. She stepped on a wire, and the clip that was on my finger came off, and the constant beeping that the machine was making turned into one long, drawn out, mid-tone sound. Nurses came rushing in to the room while Bella and I just looked at each other laughing. When they realised that I was perfectly fine, all but one of them left the room.

"Hi, Edward. I'm Kathy. I'm your nurse. If you need anything, just press that red button on the bed frame, okay?" I nodded. "How's your shoulder feeling? Any numbness, tingling, or shooting pains in your arms or legs?" I shook my head. Her thick Brooklyn accent was starting to make me curious as to why she would come to Phoenix. It's such a mix of cultures.

"It's good." I replied, then tuned into her thoughts. _This kid is so lucky. He's got her, and that gorgeous little girl with the crazy name out in the waiting area. Maybe he wants to see her. When does he get to go home? Let's see his charts. Oh, my. Well that's a bit odd. Why was he shot? Is he part of a gang? He doesn't look like a gang member. No tattoos, no bandana in sight....._ I tuned out again and allowed myself to relax before asking her way too many questions about where I stand in the recovery process.

"Can we bring my daughter in?" Bella asked Kathy. Kathy nodded and walked out the door to go get her.

Nessie walked shyly in through the door, then saw Bella and ran as fast as her little feet would let her and flung herself into Bella's arms. She slowly peeked up at me, and then shut her eyes as fast as she could. I chuckled at her shyness, and she looked up. She touched Bella's cheek, and Bella nodded. She slivered out of Bella's arms and ran over to my bed.

"Daddy?" the moment she said that blessed word, my eyes welled up with tears again, and I knew that she and Bella would be in my life forever. "Daddy are you okay?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah I'm fine, Ness. Don't worry." I said as I wiped the tears from my cheeks.

"Do you need a hug?" Nessie asked as she slowly inched closer to the bed. I laughed, then nodded and she jumped up onto my bed and wrapped her tiny arms around my neck. She pulled away and wiped the tears from underneath my eyes. She reminded me so much of Bella, it was amazing.

She placed her hand on my cheek and I saw an image of me and Bella taking her home to Forks with us.

"Do you want to come with us, Nessie?" I asked. She nodded her head eagerly. I chuckled then said "Well then I guess you're coming home with us!" she clapped and giggled and ran around the room excitedly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*Bella's Journal Entry*

Once Edward was cleared from the hospital, the express adoption was complete (thanks to Esme) and we were on our way back to Forks to see and uh, show the rest of the family what's been going on in Phoenix.

I can't believe Renesmee's my daughter. She's so mature for her age and its crazy how smart she is. She's only 4 years old and she already knows how to multiply and divide, and she's reading books that I read when I was 10, and I thought I was advanced. She's brought so much light to our family. Rosalie's even started to warm up to me. The whole family absolutely loves her. And Charlie's even okay with me living at the Cullens most of the time. He probably wouldn't be if it weren't for our special situation. He's still coming to terms with the fact that he's a grandpa. But Renee is overjoyed. She's here for about a month while the police sort out the Phil thing. It's really hard on her. I can tell she blames herself, but she really shouldn't. It took me a long time not to blame myself. I have to keep reminding myself that Renesmee is the only thing that matters in my life now. I can't imagine life without her. I would give my life to save her.

**A/N: HELLOOOOO, INTERNET WORLD! Well, first i'd like to say thank you so much for the reviews, they mean the world to me :) And second of all, the next chapter will be later on in life. Also, tell me if you like the little journal entries at the end. It's just a little peek inside Bella's head. AND there will be a little bit of renesmee/jacob lovey dovey action, and also before that comes some bella/edward drama/action/possible lemon-y goodness. You gotta have a lil angst, right? **

**So tell me in the reviews if you want some lemon-y goodness from our favorite couple. OH! and Rosalie, Alice, Emmett, and Jasper will show up a lot more too. **

**REVIEW! It'll be a blasty. **


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